Show notes
Success in sales is dependent upon intelligent repetition of contact, without being a pest. We need to be able to reach out to people lots of times, in lots of different ways and keep them engaged with us and very few salespeople have mastered this skill.
David: Hi and welcome to the podcast! Today co-host Chris Templeton and I will be talking about how to create intelligent repetition of contact with prospects and clients. Hi Chris.
Chris: Hi David. Thanks for having me. I'm really, really excited to talk about this one because I think it's so, so important. Repetition of contact, you know, it seems that any sales position requires this. What is it that gives you the sense that salespeople aren't doing this or maybe just as importantly, aren't doing it well?
David: Couple of things, if you've ever heard a salesperson say, “I don't want to be a pest,” that to me is a screaming red flag, right? Because what that generally means is they're not following up with people enough. They're not being in touch enough because they don't want to create waves. They don't want to bother the person or whatever. And to me that's a function of not being very clear about your outcome for the conversation because your goal is not simply to follow up with people and get on the phone and nag them until they're ready to buy. If you are doing that, then yes, that's being a pest, but don't do that. You know? Think in terms of what you actually want to accomplish, have reasons and excuses for contacting people so that when you are reaching out, you're actually providing value in the conversation, in the communication. If you do that, you'll be advancing the dialogue. You'll be helping your prospects and you will not come across as a pest.
Chris: And I imagine that the other thing is that if a sales guy says, "I don't want to be a pest," especially to a potential client, they already feel like they are one.
David: Well, yeah, because you're planting that thought in their mind, the fact that you're thinking it and then let alone vocalizing. Even if you don't say it, if you're thinking, “Oh, I'm afraid I'm going to be a pest,” it's going to come through in your voice and you're not going to sound as confident as you need to sound and it's not going to be helpful. If you actually say it out loud, “Hey listen, I don't want to be a pest.” Then immediately their thought is you just said you don't want to be a pest. I now have to process the word pest in my brain and then draw a line through it because you're saying you don't want to be that. And maybe just by saying it, you're being a pest. So, I think it could be a self-esteem thing, but if you can just sort of get over this idea that you're being a pest. Part of it though, and I always believe that confidence is tied to competence. If we're good at what we do, we're going to feel a lot more confident doing it. And so if you're not quite sure what to do, what to say, who to approach, how to approach them, then yeah, you're going to feel like that. And you might feel like you're being a pest, so if you're feeling that way before you go into the call, ask yourself, "Okay, what can I do to add value in this communication so that what I'm saying to them is helpful to them." because then that way I can be reasonably assured that I'm not being a pest.
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Chris: Isn't a big piece of that in terms of adding value in a conversation about really being focused on your prospective client as opposed to focused on selling the product?
David: Absolutely. Focused on their results. What is it that they want to accomplish? What do they need to have happen as a result of making this purchase? Just focusing on their goals, their desires, their outcomes, and when you're focused on them it becomes a lot easier. I remember one of the first live training presentations I did, it was in Las Vegas and it was a really long session. It was actually a full day training. Essentially it went from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM with breaks about every couple of hours. And I was young and stupid, so I was just so fired up that I didn't really care. And so I went in and I did that, you know, I did the presentation and it went very well and I was very happy with it. And someone came up to me afterwards and said, “Wow, weren't you nervous when you were doing that?” And my immediate response was that I really wasn't. And the reason I wasn't nervous is because I wasn't thinking about it from my standpoint. I wasn't thinking, “Oh, I have to get up and talk to these people.” I was so excited to share what I had to tell them that it was all about them and I could get up there and be excited about it and not feel nervous because I knew that the information that I had to share was going to help them, because it was stuff that I wish someone would've told me when I was getting started or when I needed access to that information. And so I think for salespeople, if you can approach it the same way, if you're thinking in terms of what is going to help them to accomplish their results. You're going to be far less self-conscious, you're going to be far less nervous, and you'll be far more focused on delivering a message that will be helpful to them and increase your confidence.
Chris: And when I'm focused on that person, I'm in such a better place and I lose all of that kind of angst of why I'm calling and that sort of thing. Just like you were describing in that training.
David: Right. You make it about them.
Chris: It really changes how you approach things, doesn't it?
David: It does and it changes the way that people perceive you because they pick up on it. This is not something that can be easily faked. I don't know that it can be faked at all. There are some people who try, but I think it's usually transparent. I've seen people who tried to do the whole schmoozy thing where they try to come across as, you know, sort of authentic, but you can tell that underneath it all it's just not happening. And so that's a big thing too, is that if you're learning that type of approach from someone who does it like that and you're not comfortable with it, that's not going to come across well at all.
Chris: Boy, the whole fake it ‘til you make it thing is just not the best way to approach this is it?
David: No. And I think the idea of fake it ‘til you make it, if you are not completely comfortable and you can sort of work through something and try to give it your best effort, I think there's merit to that. But the idea of faking who you are, trying to come across as something that you're not, particularly if it involves being good to customers - if you've got ulterior motives and you're just trying to get the money out of them, I think that is probably about the worst case scenario.
Chris: And really it goes back to what we've talked about in terms of learning. You know, if your approach as a sales guy is, I'm out to learn. Man, does that help get rid of that kind of angst. So, one of the things that we talked about in previous podcast was MVP of marketing: Message, Vehicle, and People talk about how this applies to that process.
David: Well, intelligent repetition of contact is all about the MVPs of marketing and sales. It's all about intelligent repetition of contact in the sense that when we're reaching out to people on a frequent basis, it's always going to be about the message. What is the message we want to communicate, the marketing vehicles, the combination of marketing vehicles that we want to use to communicate that message. If we're going to be in touch with people again and again and again, we want to make sure that we're mixing it up, that it's coming across a little different, that it's coming across with a different dynamic. And the best way to do that sometimes is to change the messaging around a bit, change the marketing vehicles around. I can say something via email. I can say something slightly different or something similar on the phone. Has a different dynamic. If I say something similar or whatever in a podcast or in a video or whatever sort of communication I'm doing. If I'm consistent in the big parts of what I'm saying, then it's not as annoying. Right? But if I just call somebody again and again, have you ever traveled in a car with small children?
Chris: Ah, yes. Yes. Yes David I have.
David: Okay. So what's the big question they constantly ask when you're going on a long trip.
Chris: “When are we going to get there?”
David: Yeah! “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” There are salespeople who take an are we there yet approach to sales or they just call somebody on the phone, “Hey, are you ready to buy? You're ready to place that order?” Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? And that's not endearing. You know, that's not fun and it's not the kind of thing that people generally appreciate. And so, if you're able to mix it up a bit, you mix up the messaging, you mix up the combination of marketing vehicles you're using. Now if this is just going to the same person, intelligent repetition of contact is not so much about people at that point cause you're going out to the same person again and again and again. So, you're saying, okay, how can I alter the message slightly? How can I change it? How can I change the delivery mechanism so that I'm not just saying the same thing exactly the same way over and over? I want to keep it interesting and fresh so that I'll get the response that I need.